كيف يعمل تبادل

How Tabadal Works

A verified B2B exchange platform designed for Dubai SMEs. No cash. No grey areas. Full UAE VAT compliance.

The process

Four steps from verification
to completed trade.

Every step is designed with protection in mind — for both parties, every time.

🏢
STEP 01

Apply & get verified

Apply via the waitlist. Khalid personally reviews each application against the founding-member criteria within 24 hours. If you are a match, your trade licence will be verified against DED or the relevant free-zone authority before you go live. The licence document is collected after acceptance, not at intake.

  • Apply via the waitlist form (no trade licence number needed at this stage)
  • Khalid reviews within 24 hours against the founding-member criteria
  • If accepted, trade licence document is requested and verified manually
  • Identity check on the authorised signatory (Emirates ID or passport)
  • Verified badge will be added to your profile once checks complete
  • You join the founding-members WhatsApp group with the founding team
📋
STEP 02

Build your profile

Your profile will be the foundation of every deal. You will tell the network what you offer, what you want, and how you prefer to trade. Specificity matters — the more precise the profile, the better the matches the broker can find for you.

  • List your primary service offering with an AED market value
  • State clearly what services you are looking for in exchange
  • Set deal preferences: size range, preferred timeline, category
  • Add portfolio examples or service descriptions to build credibility
  • Your profile will be visible to other verified members only, never to the public
🤝
STEP 03

Get hand-matched

In Phase 1 every match is brokered personally by Khalid and Leila. You will tell the team what you want; they will pair you with a verified counterpart based on five match-quality criteria. Both sides must confirm interest before any introduction is made. No cold contact, no wasted meetings.

  • You brief the broker on the trade you want (service to offer, service to receive, AED range)
  • The team identifies a counterpart against five criteria: category fit, fair value, verified licence, clean record, trust signal
  • Both parties independently confirm interest before any introduction
  • The team makes the introduction by WhatsApp or phone
  • For founding members: 10-business-day SLA on the first hand-match
✅
STEP 04

Exchange & close

Once introduced, both parties will agree the scope, the AED value, and a delivery timeline in writing. Services are delivered and tracked against the agreed milestones. When both sides confirm completion, Tabadal will auto-generate two FTA-compliant tax invoices — one in each direction — ready to file in your quarterly VAT return under VATP042.

  • Both parties agree final scope, AED value and milestones in writing
  • Services delivered and tracked against the agreed milestones
  • Both parties confirm delivery to mark the deal complete
  • Two FTA-compliant tax invoices auto-generated — one in each direction
  • Each member files the invoice in their normal quarterly VAT return
  • Leave a review for your counterpart to build your platform reputation
💬

A note on Phase 1

Phase 1 is human-brokered. Khalid and Leila personally review every application and hand-match every first deal. There is no algorithm and no member-browsable directory yet. We do it this way deliberately — the quality of your first trade matters more than the speed of it. Member 21+ joins on the Standard rate and gets matched after the founding cohort's first deals close.

Illustrative examples · pre-launch

What a Tabadal deal
will look like at launch.

Tabadal has not matched any deals yet — we are still recruiting founding members. These are illustrative scenarios showing the shape and value of trades the team will broker once members onboard. Equal value, zero cash, full VAT documentation.

HR Consultancy
⇄
Social Media Agency

Monthly payroll processing (AED 4,000) exchanged for social media management (AED 4,000). Both businesses save cash flow — and get professional work done by a verified counterpart who understands the Dubai market.

AED 4,000 barter value · each side Illustrative
Photography Studio
⇄
Web Dev Agency

Full-day product shoot (AED 6,000) exchanged for a website redesign (AED 6,000). Both businesses get professional-grade work without raising a single cash invoice to each other. VAT handled automatically.

AED 6,000 barter value · each side Illustrative
Legal Firm
⇄
PR Agency

Employment contract review package (AED 8,000) exchanged for a 6-month PR retainer (AED 8,000). High-value, zero cash. Both parties receive dual VAT invoices and file them in their quarterly FTA return exactly as standard invoices.

AED 8,000 barter value · each side Illustrative
VAT compliance

Every deal will be fully
VAT-documented.

Tabadal will handle the invoicing. You handle the delivery. Here is exactly how it will work, designed against the FTA's VATP042 ruling.

Every confirmed deal on Tabadal will automatically generate:

Invoice 1

A tax invoice from you to your counterparty — at the agreed Barter Value, showing net value, 5% VAT, and gross total.

Invoice 2

A tax invoice from your counterparty to you — at the same agreed Barter Value, with the same VAT line items.

Both invoices will carry FTA-compliant invoice numbers and reference the agreed Barter Value.
Download both as PDFs directly from your account.
Include them in your quarterly VAT return exactly as you would any standard tax invoice.
You pay VAT on what you received. You reclaim VAT on what you provided.
Net VAT cost: AED 0 for most standard-rated services. Designed against VATP042 (UAE FTA, April 2025).
Frequently asked

Your questions,
answered.

Yes — all Tabadal members must hold a valid UAE trade license (DED mainland or free zone authority). Tabadal is a verified B2B platform. Freelancers, individuals, and unregistered businesses are not eligible. This requirement protects every member on the network.
Both parties agree on the AED market value of their respective services. Tabadal provides market rate references for each service category to help anchor the conversation. The agreed value is used for the deal agreement and for VAT documentation. Trades do not need to match exactly to the decimal — rounding and slight asymmetries can be agreed between parties.
Tabadal has a formal dispute resolution process. File a report at disputes@tabadal.ae within 7 days of the issue. The team reviews evidence submitted by both parties within 7 business days and issues a decision. If unresolved, the matter may be escalated to the DIFC Small Claims Tribunal (for claims under AED 500,000). See our Terms of Service for full details.
No — Tabadal is a pure service exchange platform. No cash changes hands as part of the exchange itself. Out-of-pocket expenses (such as materials, third-party costs, or travel) can be handled directly between parties by prior agreement, but these fall outside the Tabadal deal framework.
Typically 1–8 weeks from match to completion, depending on the nature of the services being exchanged. Milestone tracking is built into the Deal Workspace so both parties have visibility at every stage. Complex or high-value deals can be structured with longer timelines by mutual agreement.
Tabadal is open to Dubai-licensed B2B service businesses with 5–50 employees. The categories we're prioritising: marketing & PR, legal & compliance, accounting & finance, photography & video, web & IT, design & branding, HR & recruitment, events & production, interior & fit-out, fitness & wellness, and training & education. Product, retail, F&B and regulated finance are not eligible in Phase 1.
Phase 1 is Dubai-focused. UAE-wide expansion is planned for Phase 2, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and other emirates. International trades may be possible on a case-by-case basis — contact the team at hello@tabadal.ae to discuss.
Your business name, trade license verification status, and service description are visible to matched counterparties within the platform. All other business and personal data is protected under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection (PDPL). You can request access, correction, or deletion of your data at any time by contacting legal@tabadal.ae. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Ready to trade?

Join Dubai's verified
B2B exchange network.

Founding members (first 20 accepted) get 2 months free, then AED 99/mo for 3 months, then AED 200/mo standard. Everyone else joins at AED 200/mo from day 1.
No per-deal fees. Cancel anytime. Application takes 2 minutes.

Apply for Founding Membership →